Shelby County Schools Winter Break 2026

Shelby County Schools students are off from Saturday, December 19, 2026 through Monday, January 4, 2027: 17 days in a row, 10 of them school days (the district also has no school Mon, Jan 4 after it). School resumes Tue, Jan 5, 2027.

winter breakDecember 21, 2026 to January 1, 202710 school days

Last day beforeFri, Dec 18, 2026

School resumesTue, Jan 5, 2027

Days off in a row17Dec 19 to Jan 4

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Planning notes

Christmas Day (Friday, December 25, 2026) and New Year’s Day (Friday, January 1, 2027) both fall inside the break.
Students also have no school on Mon, Jan 4, 2027, which makes the time off 17 days long.
Friday, December 18, 2026, the last day before the break, is an early release day.

Verified against Shelby County Schools’ official 2026-2027 calendar on September 29, 2026. Confidence: Medium.

Source: 2026-2027 District Calendar (PDF)

We fetch this document again every day and compare it with the version we verified; if the district changes it, the dates here are read again.

Note: Early dismissal at 1:00 PM on Dec 18 and May 27. Feb 15 is Presidents' Day / Instructional Planning / Teacher Workday (no students). Apr 23 is Instructional Planning / Professional Development (no students). The document lists 83 days in the first semester, 94 in the second semester, and 177 student days in total. The listed dates give 83 first-semester days, which matches. Counting the second semester from the listed dates gives 95, which is one more than stated, so one listed date may be a non-student day. The most likely candidate is March 8 (Instructional Planning), but the document does not say whether students attend, so it is not listed as a day off. No approval or adoption statement appears on the document. Winter break is listed Dec 21-31, with Jan 1 also shown as Winter Break.

Winter break in nearby districts

8 of the other 8 Alabama districts we track have winter break the same week.

District	Winter break	Back to school
Shelby County Schools	December 21, 2026 to January 1, 2027	Tue, Jan 5, 2027
Jefferson County Schools	December 21, 2026 to January 1, 2027	Wed, Jan 6, 2027
Tuscaloosa City Schools	Dec 21-31, 2026	Wed, Jan 6, 2027
Tuscaloosa County School System	December 21, 2026 to January 1, 2027	Wed, Jan 6, 2027

Frequently asked questions

When does Shelby County Schools winter break start and end?

Winter break starts Monday, December 21, 2026 and ends Friday, January 1, 2027.

When do Shelby County Schools students go back to school after winter break?

Tuesday, January 5, 2027.

How many days off is winter break?

ten school days. With the weekends and the no-school days next to it, students are off 17 days in a row (Sat, Dec 19, 2026 to Mon, Jan 4, 2027).

Is the last day before winter break an early release day?

Yes. Friday, December 18, 2026 is listed as an early release day.

Could Shelby County Schools winter break dates change?

The dates come from the district’s calendar. Districts sometimes revise a calendar after weather closures; we re-check the official document every week and update this page if it changes.

More Shelby County Schools dates

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We check every report against the district's official calendar, usually within two days. You are reporting a date for Shelby County Schools.

Shelby County Schools Winter Break 2026

Planning notes

Winter break in nearby districts

Frequently asked questions

More Shelby County Schools dates

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